Analysis on elective claw removal surgery in domestic cats: pathological changes and legislation in contrast with the conceptions of the owners

Abstract

Cats have been gaining space as a preference when choosing a companion animal due to their compatible nature with today's society. However, the growing wave of feline indoor breeding finds a contrast in relation to the need to use claws as a behavioral and physiological mechanism. In this way, surgical techniques aimed at removing this problem have gained ground throughout several countries. Onychectomy and digital flexor tenectomy are two surgical approaches to removing claws or their potential use. Both techniques are elective and unnecessary for maintaining the integrity and health of the animal. Short- and long-term pathological analysis demonstrated the appearance of alterations, initially with the expression of pain, lameness and behavioral changes. Over time, there is the possibility of developing degenerative joint disease. The constant stress resulting from pain in a chronic process leads to physiological manifestations such as: interstitial cystitis, tumor processes, dermatopathies, oral diseases such as constant stomatitis, coagulopathies, ease of acquiring infectious processes in wounds and neuropathic diabetes. In this way, tutoring a feline implies adapting to its inherent characteristics, including the need to use its claws as a form of expression.